Friday, 27 July 2012

Official Fantasy Premier League : Insight

With just over 3 weeks to go for the start of the season, its that time where we try to fix our fantasy teams with strategies, rough lineups, scouting for season long picks, joining leagues etc. Most of us rather all of us here realize the excitement that goes along with the Yahoo format of the game.The deadline day transfers, barn door, reading player picks, waiting for scores, trying to beat your competitors etc are things which pretty much complete a good week.

However those of you who play the Official format will notice the difference in approach to the game and how strategies are so different when you are allowed just 1 free transfer with no major changes in valuations.

With enough time to make changes to your teams, we though it would be appropriate to put up thebest value picks out there also keeping in mind the double game week to begin with.

Our blog league code on the Official fantasy premier league is : 3942-100865

Goalkeepers :Apart from Hart ( 7.0 ) the rest of the keepers are quite reasonable this time around.Out of the lot De Gea ( 6.0 ) is the best value for his price as Man Utd have a easy set of fixtures to begin with and with the likes of Vidic getting back to action, it could be worth it. Out of the cheaper lot in case you are looking for a bencher , Begovic ( 4.5 ) is fairly priced as Stoke seem to be strong at home and he will give you options when you need them.In case you need a heavy Chelsea defense for Week 1, look no further than Cech at 6.5

Defenders :
In the premium category of defenders, its good to see Vidic ( 7.0 ) returning from injury and is always a good asset to have in your line up. A.Cole ( 6.5 ) is well priced and with the double header in the first week, he is nailed on. Vertonghen ( 6.5 ) is a great addition this year and will prove to be a differential as we go ahead.There are several good central defenders who are affordable in case you want to spare funds for midfielders or forwards.Kaboul ( 5.5 ), Hangeland ( 5.0 ) Rafael ( 5.5 ) and S. Taylor ( 5.0 ) offer good value as they are also good with scoring from corners due to their height. I must add here all Swansea defenders are reasonably cheap at 5.0 and they have a good run of fixtures to begin the campaign. Out of the lowest priced defenders, one man who stands out is Harte ( 4.5 ) and the good part about this game is in case he doesn't play any game due to what ever reason, there is always an option from substitutes.

Midfielders
The old guards of the game are undoubtedly the way to go by Bale / Dempsey ( 9.5 ) have good potential and spending a premium price for them is worth it. Silva on the other hand is less attacking as compared to these two and i would rather stay away.After last season's performance Sigurdsson who joint Spurs has been valued at ( 9.0 ).New boy Hazard ( 9.5 ) is a great pick for three reasons.1 is that he is a great player as we have seen what he has done in his previous clubs, 2 he will be playing just behind Torres and finally the fact that chelsea have 2 games in the first game week. Out of the Man Utd midfielder i would consider Kagawa at 8.5 as he provides lot of value by playing just behind the forwards.Last year we saw Sinclair ( 7.0 ) listed as a forward, however this time around he is listed as a midfielder which makes him a good attacking pick in your midfield. In the same price there are other good options like Ramires ( 7.0 ) and Cabaye (7.0) There are several good players listed in the 6.5 price range.Larsson ( 6.5 ), Michu ( 6.5 ), Pienaar ( 6.5 ) and N.Zogbia ( 6.5 ) are some of the good options who could be looked at in case you want some balance in your team. Taarabt ( 6.0 ) is well priced and with the new acquisitions made by QPR, he could be a great differential this season. In the lower price tag there are two decent options like Dyer ( 5.5 ) and Noble ( 5.0 ) who could be helpful for your rotations and cheaper 4th midfielder options.

Forwards:Rooney ( 12.0 ) and Aguero ( 11.5 ) are for obvious reasons priced over the 10 mil mark and both have good fixtures to begin with. Both capable of scoring 30+ goals a season, they need to be there for most part of the season. However with Chelsea playing twice, you would be tempted to start with Torres ( 10.0 ) and then try to get in either Rooney or Aguero after week 1.Tevez ( 9.0 ) is well priced and if he gets a start along side Aguero, he could be a good pick for the price. It will depend on the risk you would like to take with picking him which could give you some funds to spare with. Bent ( 8.5 ) is tipped to explode this season with the change of guard at Aston Villa which will be more of attack as compared to last season.It will be interesting to see the likes of Podolski and Giroud shape up in the Arsenal formation.In the cheaper category you could look at Graham ( 6.0 ), Petric ( 6.0 ) or Vaz Te ( 5.5 ) who could be good value for money.Pogrebnyak ( 5.0 ) is a good contender for the double game week and a low priced option in case you need one in your team.

Well this was just a summary of whats in store for the season to come. Im sure there are lots of players yet to come in and lets hope RVP does make up his mind where he wants to play next season because this game will not be the same without him.We will keep you informed regarding all developments on that end.

We look forward to all the interaction with you all and appreciate your comments.